Bill Text: TX HB3503 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub

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Bill Title: Relating to the correction or removal of certain obsolete provisions of the Property Code.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-26 - Removed from local & uncontested calendar [HB3503 Detail]

Download: Texas-2021-HB3503-Comm_Sub.html

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By: Lambert, Darby (Senate Sponsor - Creighton) H.B. No. 3503
(In the Senate - Received from the House May 17, 2021;
May 17, 2021, read first time and referred to Committee on State
Affairs; May 21, 2021, reported favorably by the following vote:
Yeas 9, Nays 0; May 21, 2021, sent to printer.)
Click here to see the committee vote

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to the correction or removal of certain obsolete
provisions of the Property Code.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Sections 27.001(4), (5), and (8), Property Code,
are amended to read as follows:
(4) "Construction defect" [has the meaning assigned by
Section 401.004 for an action to which Subtitle D, Title 16, applies
and for any other action] means a matter concerning the design,
construction, or repair of a new residence, of an alteration of or
repair or addition to an existing residence, or of an appurtenance
to a residence, on which a person has a complaint against a
contractor. The term may include any physical damage to the
residence, any appurtenance, or the real property on which the
residence and appurtenance are affixed proximately caused by a
construction defect.
(5) "Contractor":
(A) means:
(i) a builder [, as defined by Section
401.003,] contracting with an owner for the construction or repair
of a new residence, for the repair or alteration of or an addition
to an existing residence, or for the construction, sale,
alteration, addition, or repair of an appurtenance to a new or
existing residence;
(ii) any person contracting with a
purchaser for the sale of a new residence constructed by or on
behalf of that person; or
(iii) a person contracting with an owner or
the developer of a condominium for the construction of a new
residence, for an alteration of or an addition to an existing
residence, for repair of a new or existing residence, or for the
construction, sale, alteration, addition, or repair of an
appurtenance to a new or existing residence; and
(B) includes:
(i) an owner, officer, director,
shareholder, partner, or employee of the contractor; and
(ii) a risk retention group registered
under Chapter 2201 [Article 21.54], Insurance Code, that insures
all or any part of a contractor's liability for the cost to repair a
residential construction defect.
(8) "Structural failure" [has the meaning assigned by
Section 401.002 for an action to which Subtitle D, Title 16, applies
and for any other action] means actual physical damage to the
load-bearing portion of a residence caused by a failure of the
load-bearing portion.
SECTION 2. Section 27.003(a), Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(a) In an action to recover damages or other relief arising
from a construction defect:
(1) a contractor is not liable for any percentage of
damages caused by:
(A) negligence of a person other than the
contractor or an agent, employee, or subcontractor of the
contractor;
(B) failure of a person other than the contractor
or an agent, employee, or subcontractor of the contractor to:
(i) take reasonable action to mitigate the
damages; or
(ii) take reasonable action to maintain the
residence;
(C) normal wear, tear, or deterioration;
(D) normal shrinkage due to drying or settlement
of construction components within the tolerance of building
standards; or
(E) the contractor's reliance on written
information relating to the residence, appurtenance, or real
property on which the residence and appurtenance are affixed that
was obtained from official government records, if the written
information was false or inaccurate and the contractor did not know
and could not reasonably have known of the falsity or inaccuracy of
the information; and
(2) if an assignee of the claimant or a person
subrogated to the rights of a claimant fails to provide the
contractor with the written notice and opportunity to inspect and
offer to repair required by Section 27.004 [or fails to request
state-sponsored inspection and dispute resolution under Chapter
428, if applicable,] before performing repairs, the contractor is
not liable for the cost of any repairs or any percentage of damages
caused by repairs made to a construction defect at the request of an
assignee of the claimant or a person subrogated to the rights of a
claimant by a person other than the contractor or an agent,
employee, or subcontractor of the contractor.
SECTION 3. Sections 27.004(a), (b), (c), and (d), Property
Code, are amended to read as follows:
(a) Before [In a claim not subject to Subtitle D, Title 16,
before] the 60th day preceding the date a claimant seeking from a
contractor damages or other relief arising from a construction
defect initiates an action, the claimant shall give written notice
by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the contractor, at
the contractor's last known address, specifying in reasonable
detail the construction defects that are the subject of the
complaint. On the request of the contractor, the claimant shall
provide to the contractor any evidence that depicts the nature and
cause of the defect and the nature and extent of repairs necessary
to remedy the defect, including expert reports, photographs, and
videotapes, if that evidence would be discoverable under Rule 192,
Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. During the 35-day period after the
date the contractor receives the notice, and on the contractor's
written request, the contractor shall be given a reasonable
opportunity to inspect and have inspected the property that is the
subject of the complaint to determine the nature and cause of the
defect and the nature and extent of repairs necessary to remedy the
defect. The contractor may take reasonable steps to document the
defect. [In a claim subject to Subtitle D, Title 16, a contractor is
entitled to make an offer of repair in accordance with Subsection
(b). A claimant is not required to give written notice to a
contractor under this subsection in a claim subject to Subtitle D,
Title 16.]
(b) Not later than the [15th day after the date of a final,
unappealable determination of a dispute under Subtitle D, Title 16,
if applicable, or not later than the] 45th day after the date the
contractor receives the notice under this section, [if Subtitle D,
Title 16, does not apply,] the contractor may make a written offer
of settlement to the claimant. The offer must be sent to the
claimant at the claimant's last known address or to the claimant's
attorney by certified mail, return receipt requested. The offer
may include either an agreement by the contractor to repair or to
have repaired by an independent contractor partially or totally at
the contractor's expense or at a reduced rate to the claimant any
construction defect described in the notice and shall describe in
reasonable detail the kind of repairs which will be made. The
repairs shall be made not later than the 45th day after the date the
contractor receives written notice of acceptance of the settlement
offer, unless completion is delayed by the claimant or by other
events beyond the control of the contractor. If a contractor makes
a written offer of settlement that the claimant considers to be
unreasonable:
(1) on or before the 25th day after the date the
claimant receives the offer, the claimant shall advise the
contractor in writing and in reasonable detail of the reasons why
the claimant considers the offer unreasonable; and
(2) not later than the 10th day after the date the
contractor receives notice under Subdivision (1), the contractor
may make a supplemental written offer of settlement to the claimant
by sending the offer to the claimant or the claimant's attorney.
(c) If [compliance with Subtitle D, Title 16, or] the giving
of the notice under Subsections (a) and (b) within the period
prescribed by those subsections is impracticable because of the
necessity of initiating an action at an earlier date to prevent
expiration of the statute of limitations or if the complaint is
asserted as a counterclaim, [compliance with Subtitle D, Title 16,
or] the notice is not required. However, the action or counterclaim
shall specify in reasonable detail each construction defect that is
the subject of the complaint. The [If Subtitle D, Title 16, applies
to the complaint, simultaneously with the filing of an action by a
claimant, the claimant must submit a request under Section 428.001.
If Subtitle D, Title 16, does not apply, the] inspection provided
for by Subsection (a) may be made not later than the 75th day after
the date of service of the suit, request for arbitration, or
counterclaim on the contractor, and the offer provided for by
Subsection (b) may be made not later than the [15th day after the
date the state-sponsored inspection and dispute resolution process
is completed, if Subtitle D, Title 16, applies, or not later than
the] 60th day after the date of service [, if Subtitle D, Title 16,
does not apply]. If, while an action subject to this chapter is
pending, the statute of limitations for the cause of action would
have expired and it is determined that the provisions of Subsection
(a) were not properly followed, the action shall be abated to allow
compliance with Subsections (a) and (b).
(d) The court or arbitration tribunal shall abate an action
governed by this chapter if Subsection (c) does not apply and the
court or tribunal, after a hearing, finds that the contractor is
entitled to abatement because the claimant failed to [comply with
the requirements of Subtitle D, Title 16, if applicable, failed to]
provide the notice or failed to give the contractor a reasonable
opportunity to inspect the property as required by Subsection (a),
or failed to follow the procedures specified by Subsection (b). An
action is automatically abated without the order of the court or
tribunal beginning on the 11th day after the date a motion to abate
is filed if the motion:
(1) is verified and alleges that the person against
whom the action is pending did not receive the written notice
required by Subsection (a), the person against whom the action is
pending was not given a reasonable opportunity to inspect the
property as required by Subsection (a), or the claimant failed to
follow the procedures specified by Subsection (b) [or Subtitle D,
Title 16]; and
(2) is not controverted by an affidavit filed by the
claimant before the 11th day after the date on which the motion to
abate is filed.
SECTION 4. Section 53.172, Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
Sec. 53.172. BOND REQUIREMENTS. The bond must:
(1) describe the property on which the liens are
claimed;
(2) refer to each lien claimed in a manner sufficient
to identify it;
(3) be in an amount that is double the amount of the
liens referred to in the bond unless the total amount claimed in the
liens exceeds $40,000, in which case the bond must be in an amount
that is the greater of 1-1/2 times the amount of the liens or the sum
of $40,000 and the amount of the liens;
(4) be payable to the parties claiming the liens;
(5) be executed by:
(A) the party filing the bond as principal; and
(B) a corporate surety authorized and admitted to
do business under the law in this state and licensed by this state
to execute the bond as surety, subject to Subchapter A, Chapter
3503, Insurance Code [Section 1, Chapter 87, Acts of the 56th
Legislature, Regular Session, 1959 (Article 7.19-1, Vernon's Texas
Insurance Code)]; and
(6) be conditioned substantially that the principal
and sureties will pay to the named obligees or to their assignees
the amount that the named obligees would have been entitled to
recover if their claims had been proved to be valid and enforceable
liens on the property.
SECTION 5. Section 74.3013(h), Property Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(h) In this section, a nonprofit cooperative corporation
means a cooperative corporation organized under Chapters 51 and 52,
Agriculture Code, the Texas Nonprofit [Non-Profit] Corporation
Law, as described by Section 1.008(d), Business Organizations Code
[Act (Article 1396-1.01 et seq., Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)],
the Texas Cooperative Association Law, as described by Section
1.008(i), Business Organizations Code [Act (Article 1396-50.01,
Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)], and Chapter 161, Utilities Code.
SECTION 6. Sections 112.058(c) and (d), Property Code, are
amended to read as follows:
(c) The community trust may transfer assets of the trust to
a nonprofit corporation only if the nonprofit corporation is
organized under the Texas Nonprofit Corporation Law, as described
by Section 1.008(d), Business Organizations Code, [the Texas
Non-Profit Corporation Act (Article 1396-1.01 et seq., Vernon's
Texas Civil Statutes)] and organized for the same purpose as the
community trust. The charter of the nonprofit corporation must
describe the purpose of the corporation and the proposed use of the
assets transferred using language substantially similar to the
language used in the instrument creating the community trust.
(d) To transfer the assets of and terminate a community
trust under this section, the governing body of the community trust
must:
(1) file a petition in a probate court, county court,
or district court requesting:
(A) the transfer of the assets of the trust to a
nonprofit corporation established for the purpose of receiving and
administering the assets of the trust; and
(B) the termination of the trust;
(2) send by first class mail to each trust settlor and
each trustee of each component trust of the community trust who can
be located by the exercise of reasonable diligence a copy of the
governing body's petition and a notice specifying the time and
place of the court-scheduled hearing on the petition; and
(3) publish once in a newspaper of general circulation
in the county in which the proceeding is pending a notice that reads
substantially similar to the following:
TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS:
(NAME OF COMMUNITY TRUST) HAS FILED A PETITION IN (NAME OF
COURT) OF (NAME OF COUNTY), TEXAS, REQUESTING PERMISSION TO CONVERT
TO A NONPROFIT CORPORATION. IF PERMITTED TO CONVERT:
(1) THE (NAME OF COMMUNITY TRUST) WILL BE TERMINATED;
AND
(2) THE ASSETS OF THE TRUST WILL BE:
(A) TRANSFERRED TO A NONPROFIT CORPORATION WITH
THE SAME NAME AND CREATED FOR THE SAME PURPOSE AS THE (NAME OF
COMMUNITY TRUST); AND
(B) HELD AND ADMINISTERED BY THE CORPORATION AS
PROVIDED BY THE TEXAS NONPROFIT [NON-PROFIT] CORPORATION LAW [ACT
(ARTICLE 1396-1.01 ET SEQ., VERNON'S TEXAS CIVIL STATUTES)].
THE PURPOSE OF THE CONVERSION IS TO ACHIEVE SAVINGS AND USE
THE MONEY SAVED TO FURTHER THE PURPOSES FOR WHICH THE (NAME OF
COMMUNITY TRUST) WAS CREATED.
A HEARING ON THE PETITION IS SCHEDULED ON (DATE AND TIME) AT
(LOCATION OF COURT).
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, YOU MAY CONTACT THE GOVERNING
BODY OF THE (NAME OF COMMUNITY TRUST) AT (ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE
NUMBER) OR THE COURT.
SECTION 7. Section 202.002(b), Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) This chapter does not affect the requirements of Chapter
123, Human Resources Code [the Community Homes for Disabled Persons
Location Act (Article 1011n, Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)].
SECTION 8. Section 202.003(b), Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) In this subsection, "family home" is a residential home
that meets the definition of and requirements applicable to a
family home under Chapter 123, Human Resources Code [the Community
Homes for Disabled Persons Location Act (Article 1011n, Vernon's
Texas Civil Statutes)]. A dedicatory instrument or restrictive
covenant may not be construed to prevent the use of property as a
family home. However, any restrictive covenant that applies to
property used as a family home shall be liberally construed to give
effect to its purposes and intent except to the extent that the
construction would restrict the use as a family home.
SECTION 9. Section 204.004(b), Property Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(b) The association must be nonprofit and may be
incorporated as a Texas nonprofit corporation. An unincorporated
association may incorporate under the Texas Nonprofit [Non-Profit]
Corporation Law, as described by Section 1.008(d), Business
Organizations Code [Act (Article 1396-1.01 et seq., Vernon's Texas
Civil Statutes)].
SECTION 10. Section 204.010(a), Property Code, is amended
to read as follows:
(a) Unless otherwise provided by the restrictions or the
association's articles of incorporation or bylaws, the property
owners' association, acting through its board of directors or
trustees, may:
(1) adopt and amend bylaws;
(2) adopt and amend budgets for revenues,
expenditures, and reserves and collect regular assessments or
special assessments for common expenses from property owners;
(3) hire and terminate managing agents and other
employees, agents, and independent contractors;
(4) institute, defend, intervene in, settle, or
compromise litigation or administrative proceedings on matters
affecting the subdivision;
(5) make contracts and incur liabilities relating to
the operation of the subdivision and the property owners'
association;
(6) regulate the use, maintenance, repair,
replacement, modification, and appearance of the subdivision;
(7) make additional improvements to be included as a
part of the common area;
(8) grant easements, leases, licenses, and
concessions through or over the common area;
(9) impose and receive payments, fees, or charges for
the use, rental, or operation of the common area and for services
provided to property owners;
(10) impose interest, late charges, and, if
applicable, returned check charges for late payments of regular
assessments or special assessments;
(11) if notice and an opportunity to be heard are
given, collect reimbursement of actual attorney's fees and other
reasonable costs incurred by the property owners' association
relating to violations of the subdivision's restrictions or the
property owners' association's bylaws and rules;
(12) charge costs to an owner's assessment account and
collect the costs in any manner provided in the restrictions for the
collection of assessments;
(13) adopt and amend rules regulating the collection
of delinquent assessments and the application of payments;
(14) impose reasonable charges for preparing,
recording, or copying amendments to the restrictions, resale
certificates, or statements of unpaid assessments;
(15) purchase insurance and fidelity bonds, including
directors' and officers' liability insurance, that the board
considers appropriate or necessary;
(16) if the restrictions allow for an annual increase
in the maximum regular assessment without a vote of the membership,
assess the increase annually or accumulate and assess the increase
after a number of years;
(17) subject to the requirements of the Texas
Nonprofit [Non-Profit] Corporation Law, as described by Section
1.008(d), Business Organizations Code [Act (Article 1396-1.01 et
seq., Vernon's Texas Civil Statutes)] and by majority vote of its
board of directors, indemnify a director or officer of the property
owners' association who was, is, or may be made a named defendant or
respondent in a proceeding because the person is or was a director;
(18) if the restrictions vest the architectural
control authority in the property owners' association or if the
authority is vested in the property owners' association under
Section 204.011:
(A) implement written architectural control
guidelines for its own use or record the guidelines in the real
property records of the applicable county; and
(B) modify the guidelines as the needs of the
subdivision change;
(19) exercise other powers conferred by the
restrictions, its articles of incorporation, or its bylaws;
(20) exercise other powers that may be exercised in
this state by a corporation of the same type as the property owners'
association; and
(21) exercise other powers necessary and proper for
the governance and operation of the property owners' association.
SECTION 11. The following provisions of the Property Code
are repealed:
(1) Section 5.018;
(2) Sections 27.001(3) and (9);
(3) Section 27.004(l); and
(4) Section 27.007(c).
SECTION 12. This Act takes effect immediately if it
receives a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each
house, as provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution.
If this Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate
effect, this Act takes effect September 1, 2021.
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